BORIS JOHNSON is planning to flood the House of Lords with dozens of “Brexit heroes” in an attempt to wipe out the overwhelming pro-Brussels majority in the upper house, Government sources revealed last night. In a move aimed at rebalancing the political make-up of Westminster, the Prime Minister wants to reward key figures in the effort to quit the EU with peerages.
He is understood to be particularly keen to ennoble business leaders who bankrolled the successful Vote Leave campaign in the run-up to the 2016 EU referendum. One business figures who has been mentioned as a possible candidate for a peerage is Tim Martin, the founder and boss of the pub chain Wetherspoon, who donated more than £200,000 to the cause and been an outspoken advocate of Brexit. But allies say the Prime Minister has ruled out a peerage for Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader who now heads the Brexit Party that is threatening Tory election hopes.
Mr Johnson’s senior aides are discussing the plan following concerns repeated attempts by unelected peers to frustrate the Brexit process has helped to undermine public trust in Westminster.
A Number 10 insider said: “There are many unsung heroes of Brexit whose contribution to the country’s decision to leave the EU deserves recognition and who have more to contribute to the national debate about the country’s future.
Continue Reading